Wyballena

This work explores the layered history of Wyballena on Flinders Island, a site of profound loss and erasure. The central motif shares the memorial that commemorates the approximately 100 Tasmanian Aboriginal people buried in unmarked graves between 1833 and 1847.

The faded, whitewashed elements represent the original settlement while symbolising the generational loss of knowledge and the failures of education to preserve and share these stories.

These elements speak of historians’ selective teaching of history, a deliberate act of obscuring the narratives of those who were displaced, disempowered, and erased.

European kings’ names were imposed on certain respected individuals instead of their own, further highlighting the control and disempowerment exerted over the Aboriginal people who were forced to live there.

At this site today, the contrast between the European graves, which are marked with headstones, and a barren field, highlighted only by the small memorial and a distant fenceline, speaks volumes about the imbalance of respect and recognition for Aboriginal graves left unmarked.

The memorial itself reads:
“Erected by the junior farmers of Flinders Island to commemorate approximately 100 Tasmanian Aboriginals buried in this vicinity of Wybalenna 1833–1847.”

This work speaks to the systemic whitewashing of history and the ongoing lack of accountability in education and collective memory. It challenges the viewer to look beyond what is selectively preserved and to confront the silences that obscure the stories of Aboriginal people.

By layering historical references with fading forms, this piece seeks to illuminate the injustices of the past and encourage a deeper reckoning with how we acknowledge and teach these truths today.

It’s important to note that efforts were made to mark the graves with wooden markers in the 1990s; however, these were quickly desecrated, and the markers were never replaced. This final act of desecration underscores the enduring challenges of preserving these stories and respecting the memory of those who lived and died there.